1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to direct/indirect luminaire structures and particularly to recessed fluorescent lighting fixtures for providing visually appealing illumination of sufficient brightness to create a productive environment within a space such as a small office.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lighting of commercial spaces including office environments and the like has become an almost exclusive province of modern fluorescent lighting systems, these systems usually taking the form of parabolic troffer fixtures capable of illuminating horizontal surfaces with a desired brightness level which allows a necessary productivity for those tasks being performed. While presently available fluorescent lighting systems are generally effective in accomplishing illumination goals in commercial spaces and particularly for large, relatively open spaces, a need exists within certain spaces including smaller office spaces and the like for a combination of the aesthetic appeal of indirect lighting, for example, with brightness levels conducive to productive activity. The lighting arts thus feel a need for luminaires capable of creating a more "soft" and appealing lighting environment while maintaining productive environments at reasonable system costs. Such lighting must provide balanced brightness with a necessary illumination of both vertical and horizontal surfaces in order to produce a necessary lighting quality and to enhance occupant satisfaction within the illuminated space. These requirements particularly come into play when lighting of relatively smaller office spaces is to be considered, such spaces requiring balanced brightness without production of the "cave" effect common to smaller spaces illuminated with high angle shielded luminaires. Often, smaller spaces illuminated with prior direct fluorescent luminaires suffer lighting contrasts including shadows and darker areas, especially on vertical wall surfaces, on the one hand and glare or harsh "hot" spots on both horizontal and vertical planes. Luminaires capable of maintenance of desired task-oriented illumination levels coupled with the "softness" or aesthetic appeal of indirect lighting, as an example, thus find utility in the art especially in smaller office environments and the like by creation of a feeling of spaciousness to occupants of the space. Such luminaires find greater utility when exhibiting design features which make an architectural statement additional to the creation of visual comfort.
A prior example of a luminaire intended to produce relatively high levels of luminous flux in an indirect fluorescent luminaire is provided by Bartenbach in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,501. The luminaire of Bartenbach mounts a fluorescent tubular lamp within a channel-shaped counter-reflector, light from the illumination source being indirectly reflected from reflector elements disposed above the counter-reflector and opposing the illumination source. In the Bartenbach luminaire, light is not intended to pass through the counter-reflector. While the Bartenbach luminaire provides indirect lighting having a certain utility, the prior art has not previously provided luminaire structures capable of both direct and indirect lighting in a fluorescent system and which is capable of creating the visual advantages alluded to hereinabove and especially when considering luminaire appearance and system costs in environments such as the small office environment. Accordingly, the present invention is seen to provide a direct/indirect luminaire particularly intended for use with fluorescent illumination sources and which is capable of producing the advantages noted herein including desired light levels as well as desired lighting quality at reasonable cost and with exceptionally pleasing aesthetic appearance.